Could Regenerative Coffee Practices Also Root Out Exploitation? – CoffeeTalk

The coffee industry faces numerous challenges, including being the sixth-largest driver of deforestation worldwide and being rife with human rights abuses such as slavery and child labor. Etelle Higonnet, founder of NGO Coffee Watch, believes that coffee can be made sustainable and ethical by implementing simple solutions. Child labor is prevalent in the coffee industry, with studies showing that 91% of Ethiopian, 74% of Colombian, and 64% of Honduran coffee farming families use child workers.

More than 100 million people rely on the coffee industry for income, but most farmers earn less than $2.15 a day, leading to poverty and mistreatment of farm workers. High prices of coffee are linked to deforestation, prompting people to plant more coffee, leading to further deforestation.

Regenerative agroforestry, where coffee plants grow in the shade of trees, is believed to be the key to sustainable coffee. Policies like the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are also important, as they would prohibit the entry of illegal or deforestation-tainted coffee imports into the EU. However, the law currently faces opposition and lobbying that spread disinformation.

Compliance with the EUDR is not as difficult as companies claim, as satellite maps can help check deforestation levels. Higonnet encourages coffee drinkers to support brands that are “great for forests and great for farmers” and to tell their favorite shops to source organic and ethical coffee. People can also visit the Coffee Watch website to sign petitions calling for changes in the industry.

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